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Pigs and pumpkins

Apart from the Christmas cards I don't normally do seasonal photos, but after meeting 2 very willing pigs earlier in the year and with pumpkins available in nearly every shop I thought we would give it a try.
Halloween is popular in the UK but in America apparently it is a bigger event than Christmas.

Pumpkins were purchased from our local Farmshop and with the choice of colours and sizes I was
like a kid in a sweet shop trying to decide what to pick.
I went for the traditional big orange Jack o lantern pumpkins x3
A lovely silvery white Ghost pumpkin x1
Some small green very hard ones x2
and a mixture of striped orange and white.

It was only when I got them all home did I realize I have never actually carved a pumpkin before !

When we were small we had to carve turnips or even potaotes, never a pumpkin.

Thankfully I have some wood carving tools which made the process much easier and I went for the freehand option rather than trying to draw it on first. I also decided not to cut all the way through as they were only for photography props and thought they would stand out better.

So off I set with my van loaded with pumpkins up the North Yorkshire moors to where the 2 pigs Bertie and Delilah reside.

They are KuneKune pigs which are quiet small when fully grown and so make great pets.

These two live on a wonderful farm with some Highland cows, Donkeys and Sheep.

They are free to roam around the fields and come in on a night to a very cosy and luxurious sandstone barn.

We set up the scene in the doorway to their barn and took a few test shots. I knew as soon as we let Bertie and Delilah into the area they would want to eat every pumpkin so I might not get many chances at getting the right picture.

And sure enough as soon as we let in the pigs they tucked straight in.

But it turned out that Bertie was actually a bit of a poser.

And after Delilah had tested a few pumpkins she made her way back to the field and left Bertie to the acting. A roll he was very happy to fill.

Back home and I have so many images to choose from I am spoilt for choice, but there is one I keep going back to that makes me smile the most.

Bertie sticking his tongue into the top of the pumpkin for the first time and that cheeky look in his eye.

And two weeks on....they are still eating pumpkins for breakfast.

Pig and Pumpkins

Comments

Brilliant Anthea. I shall recommend it on my blog post now.Hope you are all well. It is a year tomorrow since I moved intothe bungalow and now nineteen months since David went. I misshim every single day.